La Société Bistro (Montreal, CANADA)

April 23, 2015 ravinnanda

Nice hotels and nice restaurants usually tend to go hand-in-hand with each other. The Lowes Vogue Hotel hosts a classic French bistro (La Société Bistro), and is open for all four meals (brunch included ).

After a five hour drive, there was nothing more a family wanted than to eat a good meal. But a) we arrived at 11:30, and b) it was a Tuesday night. Nothing was opened, or everything was just about to close. But we called the hotel and they opened the kitchen for us.

FOOD: First we ordered a Croque-monsieur, which, oddly enough, was not that impressive. They served it on a small plate, (ninety percent of it was filled with fries), and it was hard to cut the Croque-monsieur. It tasted bitter, and it was hard as a rock. It was also cold.

For a heavier entree, we ordered a lobster thermidor. The dish was presented elegantly: an open-faced half lobster whose sides were perfectly symmetrical to each other, filled with creamy lobster meat and topped with herbs. The dish was rich and flavorful, and the herbs were a nice garnish. The texture of the lobster was soft, but not too creamy.

SERVICE:
Our server was attentive and polite. However, it did take a while for the food to arrive.

AMBIANCE:

This restaurant is very sleek, with marble floors, teal walls and champagne decorations. It was as if we were dining at a bistro in Paris!

Overall, I would rate this restaurant 7/10.

New York City

The Halal Guys (NYC, NY)

January 22, 2015 ravinnanda

Whoever said “little things come in small packages,” is a genius. NewYork City is home to hundreds of fine dining restaurants, but even more food trucks and venders.

The Halal Guys opened their first branch to success in 1990. The founding partners opened a hot dog stand, but began to see a demand of Halal Meals from Muslim cab drivers. They interchanged their hot dog stand, and began to serve Halal food.

FOOD:

If I had an option of eating only one meal in New York City, hands down I would pick the Chicken Gyro Combo from The Halal Guys. This dish, (which costs around $6) provides the perfect combination of flavors. The half-diced-half shredded chicken lays atop a bed of rice, lettuce and pita. You should drench the dish with their famous white sauce (of course, try the sauce first, to see if you like it), and add a dab of their red hot sauce. It will sear your tongue but please your taste buds.

There is always a huge line (at least a block), but it moves pretty quickly. The venders are very kind and work efficiently. They have a few locations around New York City, but the best one is on 53rd and 6th.

Overall, I would rate this place a 10/10.

New York City

Todd English Food Hall (NYC, NY)

January 3, 2015 ravinnanda

Publicized restaurants always fail to please me. The cliche, “landmark” restaurants in major cities (such as New York or Miami) rarely live up to a standard of quality food (well, food that would be served at any other restaurant). Whether it’s the service, the food or even the ambiance, it seems that these types of restaurants live up for the “name” or reputation, rather than the quality of food and comfort of diners.

The Todd English Food Hall, at the infamous Plaza Hotel, really describes the concept of “landmark” restaurants. For one, a restaurant at the Plaza must carry some weight, but it contradicts the idea of “not-caring-about-the-label.”

FOOD: To be honest, the food was not great. I ordered the Steak Tacos (do not order)…One, it was served cold. Two, the portions were so tiny, and there was lettuce messily thrown on the side. For the amount of money being paid, the dish was not substantial. The steak was bitter, and completely overpowered the flavor “fresh” vegetables.

AMBIANCE: The restaurants can accommodate a large amount of people, with seatings at the bar or regular tables. In the food hall, there are multiple stations that suit everyones needs; from desert, to caviar to sushi. However, reservations are recommended because (for some obscure reason) people want to dine here.

Over all, I would rate this restaurant 4/10

Mumbai

Leopold Cafe and Bar (Mumbai, India)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

Leopold Cafe and Bar has always been in competition with Deli Darbar restaurant, but I think that they take the cake. Well known as victims of the infamous 26/11 terrorist attacks, Leopolds have so much more to offer than terror tourism. When walking in, you will notice that mostly locals go there (which is a good sign) and that the tables are always full (good and bad).

They have an extensive menu from Iranian to Indian to Chinese to etc..

Lunch is a better time to go than dinner though because this is more of a lunch time hot-spot cafe scene rather than a sit down dinner scene.

FOOD: At Leopolds, we ordered three dishes (which is more than enough based on the portion sizes): Akuri, Chilli Chicken and Mutton Biryani Akuri is a Parsi dish, based from eggs, and has added different spices and masalas. Almost like a burjee (which is an Indian scrambled egg masala dish, commonly eaten as breakfast) but is a lot more spicier because of the added chilies and chili powder. This akuri, however was not too spicy, but not bland enough to make it a burjee. It was dried rather than watery, so that the eggs didn’t become soggy, and you could easily taste the different masalas and spices added to the dish, to make it flavorful. The Chilli Chicken was by far my favorite. Again, it wasn’t too spicy but spicy enough to redeem up to it’s title. The chili glaze was very crispy and burst an array of flavors to my palette. I found it a little sweet though, which reminded me of a teriyaki type chicken because of the sweet aftertaste, yet the chef managed to make it all work! The biryani contained more rice than lamb…I mean, all the flavors were there; rose water, saffron, tamarin. The rice was infused with just enough turmeric but there was such a low quantity with lamb, that it wasn’t really a biryani; it was more like a pilau with a hint of lamb.

So definitely come to Leopolds in Mumbai, no matter what kind of food you’re in the mood for!

Overall, I would rate this restaurant 8.5/10

Mumbai

Lotus Cafe (Mumbai, India)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

Whenever you go on vacation and stay at a nice hotel, it’s a given that you are going to want to maybe wake up late, relax and eat breakfast downstairs, right? In Mumbai, wrong. Even for locals, wrong. When in Mumbai, you must come to the Lotus Cafe at the JW Marriott in Juhu for breakfast. With a (more than) wide spread of continental, french, local, Indian, South Indian, etc..you cannot go wrong! One specialty at the Lotus Cafe, are the freshly baked croissants and muffins (just thinking about them makes me drool). The croissants are baked to a crisp, flaky shell and a warm, fluffy inside. Try taking a bite and it’s as if you’ve flown to Laduree in Paris. The muffins show an excellent ratio of fruit (either blueberries or raspberries (the raspberries are better)) to batter, even with an exceptional plain batter as well. The batter is sweet yet not too sweet to turn the muffin into a cupcake, and the fruit add an extra layer of freshness.

(Note this) The cafe is open 24/7 with a large menu that contains quite the variety of food. Now in India, what better food is to eat than Indian food?

So we ordered classic Butter Chicken! It was creamy, rich and ten times better than Moti Mahal. They gave us quite a large portion as well…there was a little spiciness in the dish, creating a twist on classic Indian food, and it gave us a kick to the meal as well. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that heavy (hence the amount of butter and cream).

As well as that, we needed a hearty, meaty dish, so we ordered lamb rogan josh. One, it was not spicy at all, which can be good or bad (in this case good) because there are two elements that are judged on a lot of Indian food: how heavy it is, and how spicy it is. You don’t want both together in one dish, because then it becomes overpowering and you get full after that one dish. The lamb was flavorful and very tender.

Chef Mandar Madav, executive sous chef, has really put the cherry on top of the sundae. He runs the Cafe like it’s no ones business, preparing brilliant dishes and conquering Indian Cuisine. He is a hardworking, noble and respectable man, with a hell of a lot knowledge about food.

The service here is wonderful, (a thousand times better than Spices) and I’m guaranteed that your experience here will be one to never forget!

Overall I would rate this restaurant 11/10

Mumbai

Spices (Mumbai, India)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

The JW Marriott is by far the best hotel in Mumbai. They have huge rooms, great food and excellent service! Well, for the most part…

The Oriental restaurant, “Spices” and sushi collaboration with Chef Emmel (who is the saving grace of this restaurant) will give you a dining experience that you will never forget!

When you walk into the sheik, elegant restaurant covered in shades and materials of ebony yet is complimented by it’s vibrant furniture, you must think “wow.” However, you mustn’t judge a book by it’s cover.

We were seated at a table right near the sushi bar, because frankly, who wants to sit on a sushi bar? I mean, its cool to watch the Sushi Chefs in action, but why bother sitting on stools rather than comfortable chairs when you’re given with the same view?

FOOD: The food wasn’t half bad: lemon grass chicken, tempura fried shrimp and noodles (haha, noodles again! Not too boring as there was seasoning) and the lemon grass chicken was fine. Although, I wish that they would’ve pan seared or grilled the chicken, then infuse it or marinate it with a lemon grass glaze or pure lemon grass, rather than frying it. The tempura shrimp though was the best of all. Perfectly flash fried, topped with a creative ensemble of various greens.

Now, this is where the fun begins…

As we’re seated, we receive our menus ten minutes passed (way too long) and our food twenty five minutes later. As were waiting, Chef Emmel brought us tempura fried shrimp. I’m never a fan of tempura! I’ve always found the taste unappetizing and the texture gross. However, I really enjoyed this tempura! It was cooked to a perfect crisp and the various “toppings” and “garnishes” complimented the shrimp.

As we’re finishing the shrimp, we ask for water. Five minutes later: no water (still no food). Ten minutes later: no water (still no food). FIFTEEN minutes later: NO WATER (STILL NO FOOD). This experience was starting to get really agitating, so Chef Emmel, who was very busy, intensely working the sushi bar came over to our table and served us the water. What the hell! I mean, thank you Chef! You seem to be the only genuine, hardworking person at this restaurant!

Chef Emmel is a great man. Hardworking, very, very kind and helpful. He is the only person at this restaurant who seems to have their act together. He took care of us really well, trying to make sure that our experience was more than exceptional, and when things started to fall apart, he tried to save the day! He represents such great skill in sushi and makes a hell of a good tempura shrimp! Nobu, watch out!

After our whole “water debacle” we decided that we were done with Spices, and asked for the check. Again! We had to ask three different people before someone smart enough went and got us our check. What kind of restaurant is this? Quizznos? Dominos? No! It’s an oriental restaurant at a FIVE STAR HOTEL! C’mon! Get. your. act. together. People dine here because they expect great food and outstanding service! Bollywood stars are likely to dine here!

Right now, I’d rate this restaurant 5/10. I’m serious. Spices really needs to up their service game in order to stay a hotspot for Oriental food in Mumbai, because who knows? Maybe Oberoi will open up an oriental restaurant!

Mumbai

Ming Yang (Mumbai, India)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

Usually when coming to cities, Five star hotels are bound to have exceptional restaurants, whether they represent the given country’s cuisine, or are international delights that have honorably been picked to open at these hotels. The Taj Lands End, one of the most prestigiously luxurious hotels in all of Mumbai is not only a popular destination, but a restaurant hotspot for all of Mumbai.

Again, I decided to go with Chinese food in Mumbai, but this time to an extent of classiness. All over Mumbai, the name “Taj Lands End” is uttered, famously because of their Chinese restaurant. However, I was quite disappointed with my dining experience there.

Some may find the dull, green walls and shadowed art radiant, but I found it very somber. Before we could even sit down, our server expected us to already know what we wanted before we received our menus. After that awkward moment, they still seemed to linger around our table, is if subtly telling us to hurry up. Talk about a rush…but the baffling part was that there was no one in the restaurant! Only about two couples were sitting across the restaurant, and there was no line to get in.

FOOD: Surprisingly, we ordered noodles (usually, I find noodles to be boring and flavorless, when you have the option to try anything else on the menu), Chicken Pan fried noodles to be exact. Well, I was right. Flavorless. Dull. Bland. I couldn’t even taste the chicken! Because I knew how flavorless noodles were, I let that one slide, thinking, “It’s just my palette” but I was wrong. The shrimp in mustard garlic sauce looked putrid, and tasted ten times worse. Not to be gross, but it looked like someone with bronchitis coughed up phlegm onto prawns. It tasted (surprisingly) flavorless. The disgusting sauce even managed to get rid of the fishy taste that small shrimps. And on top of that, they charged 1750 rupees for it. A total ripoff! Now I was starting to get agitated so we ordered one of my favorite dishes: chili chicken. The Chicken wasn’t all that bad, not too spicy, but flavorful. Yet they gave us a small portion of chicken.

Overall, I would rate the restaurant 4/10. For over priced Chinese food that is supposed to be “the top in town” flopped and ruined the evening. Do not come here while in Mumbai.

Mumbai

Pebbles (Mumbai, India)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

You know, the funny thing is, is that when I came to Mumbai, I ate more Chinese food than Indian food! Accidentally? I think not…

Of course Mumbai, India’s most populated city, has over thousands of Indian restaurants, carts, trucks, stands, etc…but you can only have so much of Indian food, that you want to expand your horizons to more of what the city has to offer.

Okay: now that we’ve covered which cuisine I’ll eat, it’s a matter of where.Luckily, we were staying right across the street from a Chinese restaurant, “Pebbles” in Juhu area.

They say that they’re “genuine, 100% Chinese” but no. Indo-Chinese is more of a suitable name for the restaurant.

It’s a fairly nice restaurant with a “zen” ambiance…jeans and a shirt for the men would be acceptable, probably a dress would work for the women or an elegant top with jeans…

The service was amiable, attentive but nothing special.

FOOD: For meat, we ordered the Roast Lamb with Black Pepper and the Soho Chicken. The lamb was nice, a little chewy though…it tasted more like Chili Lamb than infused with black pepper. The Soho Chicken, however, was superb! They glaze chicken in a soy, miso sauce and then top it with refreshing scallions. It was a little spicy, but not too much to spoil the flavor of the miso glaze. For a fish, we ordered the Fish in Hot Garlic Sauce. First of all, there was very little fish and mostly gravy. Second, the gravy tasted sweet, almost like the sweet sauce with crisps at Americanized Chinese Restaurants. We had a side of fried rice as well, to accompany the meats. No vegetables though.

Overall, I would rate the restaurant 6/10. It was not terrible, but not great. I would say…a little less than average. They’re are so many better Chinese restaurants in Mumbai, so I wouldn’t waste your time coming here.

Maui

Honu (Maui, HI)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

Hawaii is famous for many things (as we know), and known for sunsets. Honu incorporates regular, American seafood with an Island twist, that is bound to make you coming back for more.

The service was great! Very attentive, helpful and amiable. The ambiance gives the restaurant a nice Island feel, whether you’re seated inside, at the bar, or outside overlooking the water (where you can see a beautiful Hawaiian sunset)

FOOD: The food at Honu was damn good! We ordered the White Gulf Shrimp Verde Pizza and the Lamb Riblets. Instead of a red tomato sauce, the pizza based a green pesto sauce (hence the name “verde”) and was sprinkled with Pecorino/Mozzarella Cheese. The shrimps were smaller, thus providing more flavor to the pizza, as larger shrimps are bland. The Lamb Riblets were cooked to a perfect medium, and had a sweet lavender-honey glaze that really changed the whole aspect of Lamb. Lamb is usually tender or salty, but Honu took a smart risk on turning it sweet.

So when you’re Lahaina, definitely try Honu. My overall experience would be an 8/10.

Maui

Nahiku Fish Market (Hana, HI)

August 14, 2014 ravinnanda

Cruising down the Hana highway can really make you nauseous, so a nice break is completely necessary.

Nahiku Market consists of three different food “stations”: traditional-local island, Thai and Chinese. Knowing myself, I was open to everything, so I ordered a little bit from each. From the Chinese, Mongolian beef. From the Thai, padthai noodles and from the Island, fish tacos. The Beef was crispy, cooked well, flavorful and grateful (huge portions), while I did have a little problem with the Thai food. One, it took thirty minutes for one order! Two, the amount was a lot different than it looked in the picture ( the picture showed about twelve shrimps, while there were only three in the dish) and not to sound cliche or anything, but the food was cooked with hate, not love. The cook had a bad attitude and was very condescending with the customers. The Island food, however, was by far my favorite. For only seven dollars, I got one giant fresh fish taco that was filled with salsa, beans, guacamole, a special Hawaiian sauce, lettuce, a variety of vegetables and tomatoes. I couldn’t help myself from ordering two!

Overall, I would rate this 8/10. Anyway, my point is, is that Nahiku fish market should be on your bucket list when visiting Maui!